1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to kitchen exhaust systems and more particularly to a system requiring comparatively little room air and thereby enabling significant conservation of energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For some years, the conventional practice in kitchen exhaust systems involved the use of a hood over the cooking surface to collect smoke and fumes and discharge it outside the building by use of a blower having an intake connected to the hood and an outlet connected to a discharge outside the building. Make-up air to the kitchen was provided from other parts of the building through doors, windows, or through air-handling equipment which required heating or cooling of the air, depending upon the outside temperature and the desired room temperature. The result was an excessive use of energy for heating or cooling the make-up air.
One subsequent development involved a second blower taking the air in directly from the outside and blowing it directly to the area under the hood. Sometimes this air was heated or cooled as was believed necessary to do so for comfort or other reasons. Some U.S. patents which I have noted and which disclose this or other approaches are as follows:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,810,337 Samuelson et al Oct. 22, 1957 3,173,980 Hysinger March 16, 1965 3,260,189 Jensen July 12, 1966 3,292,525 Jensen Dec. 20, 1966 3,386,365 Jensen June 4, 1968 3,411,428 Ahlrich Nov. 19, 1968 3,457,850 Sweet et al July 29, 1969 3,513,766 Ahlrich May 26, 1970 3,530,784 Courchesne Sept. 29, 1970 3, 566,585 Voloshen et al March 2, 1971 3,616,744 Jensen Nov. 2, 1971 3,800,689 Brown April 2, 1974 3,890,887 Kaufman et al June 24, 1975 ______________________________________
Further improvement has been needed in kitchen exhaust systems, and the present invention is directed toward meeting the need.